Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CDC has created a new, web-on-demand, self-paced module for healthcare providers who will be administering COVID-19 vaccines. The Immunization Course update on COVID-19 Vaccine Training: What Healthcare Professionals Need to Know is now live. This module provides healthcare providers with comprehensive information for all currently approved…… Continue reading COVID-19 Vaccine Training: What Healthcare Professionals Need to Know is Now Live

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Here’s a resource that’s always relevant to all health care settings:Implementation Guide for AHRQ’s Making Informed Consent an Informed Choice – Training Modules. This 57-page guide is rich with information to help you and your team promote/improve informed consent. This guide is a companion to the…… Continue reading Making Informed Consent an Informed Choice (AHRQ Resource)

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CDC has updated the Infection Control Assessment and Response (ICAR) Tool for General Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Across Settings to include Module 11 – Water Exposure.  It appears that this Module was added June 27, 2023. ICAR tools are used to systematically assess a healthcare…… Continue reading Updated: Infection Control Assessment and Response (ICAR) Tool for General Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Across Settings

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS has posted the iQIES User Roles Matrix Job Aid … version 3.5 with the date of August 11, 2023 (the date of posting/notification is Wednesday, August 16, 2023). iQAN is referenced on the last two pages of this 22-page job aid. iQAN is a content…… Continue reading CMS Posts Updated iQIES User Roles Matrix and New Resources

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS revised the State Performance Standards (SPSS) Guidance via Admin Info: 23-12-ALL dated August 11, 2023. Every year, CMS conducts a formal assessment of each State Survey Agencies’ performance relative to measures included in the SPSS program. CMS works with the State Survey Agencies to strengthen…… Continue reading CMS Revises Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 State Performance Standards System (SPSS) Guidance

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today (Saturday, August 12, 2023) additional resources and flexibilities available in response to the recent wildfires in the State of Hawaii. CMS is working closely with Hawaii to put these flexibilities in place to ensure those affected…… Continue reading CMS Announces Resources and Flexibilities to Assist with the Public Health Emergency in Hawaii Due to Recent Wildfires

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CDC has updated 4 hand hygiene in healthcare settings videosearlier this spring:  Also recently updated is theEnhanced Barrier Precautions in Nursing Homes video: Threats to nursing home residents’ health are changing and we must adapt to protect them. Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) are a known threat to…… Continue reading CDC Updates Videos: Hand Hygiene in Healthcare Settings and Enhanced Barrier Precautions in Nursing Homes

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare ISMP’s List of Confused Drug Names contains look-alike and sound-alike (LASA) name pairs of medications that have been published in the ISMP Medication Safety Alert!® Acute Care, the ISMP Medication Safety Alert!® Community/Ambulatory Care, and the FDA and ISMP Lists of Look-Alike Drug Names with Recommended Tall Man Letters.[1]   Use this list to determine which medications require…… Continue reading List of Confused Drug Names

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare “LeadingAge and our dedicated members strive 24/7 to make America a better place to grow old. To achieve that goal it’s vital that key stakeholders—including the public, media, and policymakers—understand the vast and diverse population we serve, as well as their circumstances and needs.  We recently produced…… Continue reading New Resource: America Is Aging Infographic

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) recognizes National Immunization Awareness Month during August. Immunizations—also called vaccinations, vaccines, or shots—protect people of all ages against a wide range of diseases and conditions. Throughout August, and the rest of the year,…… Continue reading Immunizations Matter – August is National Immunization Awareness Month